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Friday, August 22, 2014

Royal Enfield diesel motorcycles in the U.S.

Tom Judd and Aaron Scott will build you a Royal Enfield diesel motorcycle.
Converting Royal Enfield motorcycles to diesel power is a popular notion — diesel Royal Enfields have even been produced commercially, although not in the U.S. Now Coloradans Tom Judd and Aaron Scott want to do it for you.

They describe themselves as "two environmentally-conscious motorcycle enthusiasts trying to bring something to market that the major manufacturers just have not provided." The environmentally friendly motorcycles they make will be able to transport people using diesel fuel or carbon-neutral fuels like vegetable oils or biodiesel.

Their motorcycles will be multi-fuel, simple, reliable and serviceable AND will get 130-plus miles per gallon, they promise.

They call their operation MotorEarth to emphasize the mission.

MotorEarth diesel motorcycle.
To make it happen they've started an IndieGoGo campaign to raise $25,000. The money will enable them to buy the engines, transmissions, body parts, paint, rims and tires to complete the 11 chassis currently in Denver. Those who contribute get a variety of "perks," from a toolbox sticker to the opportunity to buy the first motorcycles at introductory prices.

But the dream doesn't end there.

"If there is room for it in the funding, we will put research into moving full production to India and making a completely new, high-efficiency, light, diesel motorcycle for the world market," they write.

That future motorcycle might not look much like a Royal Enfield. But, for now, Royal Enfields were an obvious choice for conversion. They "are known for their simplicity. They are rugged, field tested, easy to maintain and repair," the Indiegogo proposal notes.

"All Steel, All Mechanical, All Analog!"

It's a great slogan. The single-cylinder diesel motor promises 13-horsepower, which they say will take you to 100 kph. A prototype continuously variable transmission maximizes the available power.

Check MotorEarth's website for more information on the diesel conversion.

Tom is a designer, engineer and machinist and Aaron has experience sourcing and manufacturing products in India and the U.S., according to the proposal.

One last promise they make: "We will get it done."

Meet Tom and Aaron and see a prototype run in the video:

1 comment:

  1. Looks as though they didn't make it. Their website is defunct after less than one year. :( Bummer! I was contemplating the acquisition of one of their roller kits (got a brand new Carrol Stream 10HP diesel engine underneath the workbench, left over from another now-defunct project).

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